Least Concern Birds

African Spoonbill

Platalea alba

Long-billed bird feeding on fish in African freshwater wetlands.

Scientific name	Platalea alba
Swahili name	Mchongoma mweupe
Conservation status	Least Concern
Class	Aves
Order	Ciconiiformes
Family	Plataleidae
Size	Male: body length approximately 80-90 cm, weight about 1.2-1.5 kg; female: slightly smaller in length and lighter in weight

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How to identify

Entire body covered with white feathers; long, flat pink or pale pink spoon-shaped bill; red legs and feet; long neck, stretched out during flight; fine crest on the crown during breeding season

Habitat

Freshwater wetlands, shallow lakes, estuaries, marshes, and waters near sparse woodland savannas

Diet

Carnivorous, primarily feeding on small fish, crustaceans, insects, and other aquatic invertebrates

When it is active

Diurnal, mainly foraging during the day

Where it lives

Widely distributed across sub-Saharan Africa, including Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and the Masai Mara region

How to spot it

Observe at dawn or dusk along wetland edges, note its distinctive flat bill and white plumage, use binoculars or telephoto lenses for photography

Photography tips

Use telephoto lenses to capture feeding behavior, pay attention to light angles to highlight white feathers and pink bill, wetland backgrounds add depth to images